Turquoise

Turquoise is a hydrated phosphate of aluminum and copper, it is an opaque mineral that has colors ranging from uniform blue to green or with brown or black veins.

As it is a very porous mineral, its original color can change easily. And this is why, to protect its surface, treatments are carried out during processing that close the pores and slow down the alteration process. Turquoise, like all other porous semi-precious stones, is very delicate because it absorbs a lot and therefore also contact with perfumes, soaps and acid substances can irreversibly alter their color. Turquoise is one of the oldest ever used by man. Used since ancient times as a precious and ornamental stone. The oldest artifact dates back to about 6000 years ago and is a bracelet discovered in Egypt but, in the past, it was used also as an ornament by the Maya, Aztecs, Incas and Navajo.

Deposit

Turquoise is found in secondary copper deposits but also in igneous or sedimentary aluminiferous rocks usually located in arid areas. It is mainly mined in the United States of America (Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico), Africa, Turkey, China, Peru, Mexico, Iran, Siberia and Australia.

Various qualities

• Extra: Turquoise which has a completely uniform blue surface with no impurities inside.
• Matrix: the Turquoise that has black or brown spots or veins on the surface.
• Overcast: the Turquoise that has chalky white spots on its surface.

Natural or stabilized

• Natural: extracted from the mine and worked without any chemical alteration. This process, however, allows the oxidation process to advance over time and therefore the transition from a blue to green color. Process which, in most cases, is irreversible.
• Stabilized: once extracted, Turquoise undergoes a process that stabilizes the color of the stone making it long-lasting. A process that slightly alters the color of the stone but much used and appreciated by customers.

Crystal therapy

Turquoise has protective and facilitating properties of speech and communication but also numerous therapeutic virtues including the ability to protect against poisonous snake bites. It inspires lofty thoughts and fosters deep love. Some beliefs want this stone to vanish when bad luck approaches or the end of a love affair. Like all blue stones it is linked to the 5th chakra, that of the throat. It is the stone of those born under the sign of Sagittarius.